Ohio State's Miller wins Tribune Silver Football

Many Big Ten greats never won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, awarded annually to the conference's best player. Apologies go out to Bubba Smith, Rod Woodson, Cris Carter, Pat Fitzgerald and Larry Johnson.

A lengthy list of Big Ten legends won the award once, from Alan Ameche and Dick Butkus to Ron Dayne and Drew Brees.

Until this fall, only three men had won the award twice: Ohio State's Archie Griffin (1973-74), Indiana's Anthony Thompson (1988-89) and the answer to a trivia question, Paul Giel. The Minnesota quarterback from the early '50s lost out on the '53 Heisman Trophy to Notre Dame's Johnny Lattner and passed on football opportunities to win 11 games as a major league pitcher.

Braxton Miller threw a mean fastball as a kid, but football will consume his future. And if it's college football — meaning, if Miller decides to return to Ohio State for his senior season — he could become the first three-time Silver Football winner.

The award has been around since 1924, 11 years before Jay Berwanger won the first Heisman Trophy as well as that season's Silver Football.

“That is just crazy,” a jubilant Miller said upon being informed he had won for a second consecutive year. “I look at that as a prime example of why I need to keep doing my thing.”

The vote wasn't close. Miller appeared on 10 of the 12 ballots — Big Ten head coaches cannot vote for their own players — and received nine first-place votes and one second.

Wisconsin playmakers Jared Abbrederis and Melvin Gordon each got a second-place vote, as did Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff.

Surprisingly, no coaches gave support to Wisconsin tailback James White, Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah or Penn State wideout Allen Robinson.

The voting took place before the Big Ten championship game, in which Miller rushed for 142 yards and two scores but connected on just 8 of 21 pass attempts.

“Are there things he could have done better? Yeah,” said Ohio State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tom Herman. “But we didn't play very well around him.”

NFL scouts who believe Miller should return for his senior season will use that passing performance as proof, even though he threw several catchable balls against Michigan State that weren't hauled in.

One scout called Miller “tough as hell, and not far from where Donovan McNabb was in college. Braxton made a big jump from a season ago; his footwork is better. Coming back would certainly benefit him.”

Miller hopes to light up the South Florida sky Jan. 3 when the Buckeyes take on Clemson in the Orange Bowl. He will consult the NFL's draft advisory board long before the Jan. 15 deadline.

“It's tough; I just don't know,” Miller said of the stay-or-go decision. “I really have to sit down and go through the pros and cons. I'll talk to my parents, take it slow. Hopefully ball out on January 3rd and see what the scouts are looking at.”

Miller is wary of exposing himself to the kind of injury he suffered in September, a sprained left knee. He attempted 153 rushes this season (down from 227 last year), averaging 16.5 in the Buckeyes' final four games. He said he's “getting tired” of the pounding and is well aware Ohio State will lose four senior starters on its offensive line.

He wants to develop as more of a traditional, pro-style quarterback, saying: “We recruit running backs. They're on scholarship too.”

Another factor: This could be an extremely deep class of quarterbacks if Central Florida's Blake Bortles and UCLA's Brett Hundley turn pro.

“Any quarterback who is an underclassmen and not that highly regarded would take a risk by coming out,” said analyst Russ Lande, a former scout for the Rams and Browns. “Guys who go in the first round, like Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, get more ‘lives.' Even if you get taken in the second round, you might only get a chance to fail one time.

“Braxton is an immense talent. His arm (strength) is ridiculous and he can make every throw, but his accuracy is all over the place and (he) needs a ton of work on his footwork. He probably would be a third- or fourth-rounder; I'd be shocked if he went higher than that. He is still so raw.”

Needless to say, Ohio State coaches are dying for Miller to return. Backup Kenny Guiton will graduate, meaning next year's starter could be J.T. Barrett, a freshman who redshirted this season.

The Buckeyes will have skill players galore, but don't forget about that young offensive line.

“If he can make the same improvement as he did from last year to this,” Herman said, “then the sky is the limit. We're talking about the first or second round. He has all the physical tools.”